NEW: Find Empty iTunes Media Folders

A tweet is worth...well, I guess only 140 characters. But a picture of a tweet should be worth more, right?

Anyway, this tweet from a Correspondent reminded me about something I've been aiming to do for a while and that's find the folders in the iTunes Media folder that 1) are empty and that iTunes wouldn't or couldn't delete and 2) find the folders that are virtually empty except for any files that aren't compatible with iTunes.

Typically, if you allow iTunes to manage the iTunes Media folder, iTunes will remove "Artist" and "Album" folders when it happens that they become empty by virtue of deleting tracks and their files in the app. But, if you manage the iTunes Media folder yourself (or some other folder/s that store your media files) and delete tracks and files, I'm not so sure iTunes will delete the empties. Or, if, like the author of the tweet, you've placed files alongside your media that iTunes doesn't recognize—set lists or liner notes as text files, album art as "folder.jpg" or "cover.jpg" files, and so on—then iTunes won't delete these folders either. My guess is that if you've Trashed the media files, you probably don't need the associated bric-a-brac anymore and these folders could be disposed of.

Short of going through the entire iTunes Media folder using your fingers and eyeballs, Find Empty iTunes Media Folders will quickly traverse the iTunes Media folder looking for empty folders and folders that only contain files that iTunes doesn't recognize.

I wish I had taken a screenshot of the folders it found before I really started testing the delete feature. I originally had about thirty folders either empty or containing potential jetsam.

Find Empty iTunes Media Folders can be downloaded and used in Demo Mode for free. In Demo Mode, several features will be disabled, which include:

• Show Finder Information Window
• Reveal in Finder
• Send to Trash
• Select all Empty/non-Empty
• Only Scan for Empty Folders
• Scan other user-selected folder

If you like and use the app, you can purchase a registration code for $1.99 that will remove the Demo Mode restrictions and enable the features listed above. You can get more information and download it from this page.

UPDATED: Convert and Replace v2.4

Convert and Replace v2.4 will convert the files of the selected tracks using an iTunes encoder chosen on-the-fly (each encoder's current Preferences-set options will be in effect) and replace the original tracks throughout the playlists of your entire library with the newly converted versions. Additionally, you can opt to Trash/delete or keep the original files and tracks.

This latest version will stay running and not quit after conversion (registered version), monitors changes to the selection of tracks and removes the ability to select a playlist of tracks.

Interestingly, a Correspondent inquired if the script could be modified to accommodate two conversions. Here's why: he wanted to convert 24 bit depth/48 kHz audio files (downloaded from Bandcamp) to Apple Lossless. But Apple Lossless conversion retains the original bit depth and sample rate, defeating the purpose (to some extent) of converting to a smaller file format. So he uses the script to convert these files to 16 bit/44.1 kHz AIFF files first and then again to convert them to ALAC.

Performing two conversions back-to-back automatically with different encoders would be a bit of a stretch for the script. So, as a compromise, I have let it stay open after conversion (at least for registered users) so that the original set of tracks remains the Source if a second conversion of them is required.

A registration code for Convert and Replace is $1.99 and it's free to demo for ten days; it's a free upgrade for current users. It can be downloaded from this page.